Love Languages
by suburbs
Summary: Jason reads a book about love and uses what he learned to show his friends how he feels about them.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Rock or The Five Languages of Love by Gary Chapman._

_A/N: So this is something different from my usual story, but I hope you like it. Thanks to MissNata13 for reading the draft and encouraging me to finish the story. _

It all started because Jason was bored. There are only so many games of Guitar Hero you can play before even that gets old, and the options were fairly limited on the tour bus. But Nate's mom had been visiting them the week before and had accidentally left her book in the living area, so out of sheer desperation, Jason had picked it up and started to read.

_The Five Languages of Love. _

How people express and receive love.

The concept was sort of interesting – that different people express love in different ways. Jason had always assumed that when you loved someone you gave them a big hug and just told them. That's what he did anyway. But apparently that didn't work for everyone, which explained a lot about his friends. Why Shane always grimaced when Jason hugged him, and why Nate stuttered and stammered when Jason announced that he loved him. Mitchie would always hug him back, but she never instigated it. And Caitlyn… Jason could never figure out what she was thinking, and he really wanted to know.

**Physical Touch – A Way of Communicating Emotional Love**

That one Jason got right off – it was the way he expressed love. When he was happy he wanted to grab the entire world and give them a hug. When he was sad, all he really wanted was for someone to squeeze his hand or rub his back to show him it would be okay. He also knew how much he wanted to hold the object of his affection, but he was too afraid to take that first step. Too afraid she would push him away, and for him that would hurt worse than a verbal rejection.

**Words of Affirmation – Compliments or Positive Words as a Sign of Affection**

So someone who gave other people compliments would appreciate them in return? Jason guessed that made sense. Who did he know who was quick to tell someone when they did something well?

As he sat thinking about it, the answer actually surprised him – Shane. While Shane could be a diva and a jerk sometimes, he was always the first to point out when someone did a good job or remind you of your strengths when you failed at something else. Like with Mitchie – she wasn't the greatest dancer ever, but when she was struggling with the choreography, Shane would always remind her of what an amazing singer she was.

**Acts of Service – Expressing Love by Doing Something for Someone Else**

Someone who showed they cared by doing things, huh? Out of all of his friends, the person this reminded him of was Nate. Sure, Nate was super-responsible, so sometimes he just did things because he felt like he had to. But Nate went beyond that; he took care of the people he cared about. He didn't have to take Jason's dry cleaning in when he took his own or burn a CD for Caitlyn when she said she liked a song he had on his iPod. He just did those sorts of things without anyone having to ask him.

**Quality Time – Giving Someone Your Undivided Attention**

This one was easy – he had listened to Mitchie and Shane argue enough to know that Mitchie really valued spending one-on-one time talking with someone she cared about. In fact, Jason had no clue how Shane hadn't figured this one out yet. He kept trying to watch television or write a song when Mitchie wanted to spend time with him, and everyone else but Shane could sense the blow-up coming. No doubt in Jason's mind that Mitchie was a quality time person.

**Giving Gifts – A Physical Representation Showing You are Thinking of the Other Person**

When Jason first read this one, he thought it sounded pretty shallow. Who needed presents to feel loved? He was pretty sure he didn't know anyone (except maybe Tess) like that. But then he read further, and it was the thought and effort that the person put in to finding the gift and the fact that it was a tangible expression of love that mattered. That's when he knew – Caitlyn. She was always giving little gifts to people – somehow she always had a packet of blank sheet music right before Nate ran out or had restocked the freezer with Shane's favorite ice cream when he had had a bad day. He still remembered the day she had brought him back a crazy two-story bird house – she had been so excited to give it to him. He smiled thinking about it, but his smile quickly turned into a frown. Had he ever given Caitlyn a present just because? He knew he had given her Christmas and birthday presents, but had he ever given her something just to show he was thinking of her? Which was pretty pathetic because he thought about her a lot.

He sat up late into the night in his bunk finishing the book. The author was mostly talking about married couples, but Jason was pretty sure that if what the book said was true, you could use it with friends too. It all seemed to make sense, but would it really work? Would it make a difference to his friends if he tried to show them he cared about them without the group hugs? He decided to take a day and try it out. And he would start with Mitchie because she would be the easiest – plus she was always the first one up. So he set his alarm and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

He had second thoughts when his alarm went off at six a.m., but he got out of bed and stumbled towards the kitchen anyway. Mitchie almost spit out her juice when she saw him emerge from the bunks.

"What are you doing up, Jase? You know it's only six, right? You can still sleep for a few more hours."

Jason rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before replying, "I know. I just haven't seen you much lately, so I thought it might be nice to hang out and talk before everyone else woke up – just the two of us."

Mitchie's face lit up. "Really?"

He nodded. "Do you think you can help me make some coffee, though?" he asked a little sheepishly. "It's usually ready before I wake up."

Mitchie laughed and rose from her seat. As she passed him, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before pulling a filter out of the drawer next to him. She hummed happily as she measured the coffee, and Jason was pretty sure attempt number one was a success.

Jason had known exactly what to do with Mitchie, but the other three were trickier. He had to watch carefully for an opportunity to compliment Shane or do something nice for Nate because he thought it might be sort of creepy out of the blue. It was all about the context.

His first opportunity came when the bus stopped at the arena where they were performing that night. Nate was holding his guitar with one hand and talking to their publicist on the phone while trying to look over a press release. Normally Jason would have kept walking, assuming Nate could juggle all three items. But this time, he walked up and held out his hand. When Nate gave him a questioning look, Jason whispered, "Can I take your guitar inside for you? I promise I won't lose it."

Nate grinned at Jason before saying, "Thanks, Jason."

Jason walked away feeling very good. Somehow the book had left out how great it felt to make someone else happy. As he settled into the dressing room with both guitars, he noticed that Nate's Diet Coke was sitting out. He stuck the six pack in the fridge and was just closing the door when Nate entered.

"Was that my soda?" Nate asked.

"Yeah. I was just putting it in the fridge," Jason said.

He was surprised when Nate voluntarily gave him a one-armed hug before thanking him again.

Their sound check was a little rough that day, and Jason could tell that Shane was uptight. He had yelled at Mitchie and their PA and was currently pacing around their dressing room. Normally Jason tried to stay out of Shane's way when he was like this, but today he thought he would try something different.

"Hey, Shane?"

"What," Shane snapped.

"I meant to tell you that you were awesome during "Play My Music" during the last show. You really got the crowd into it," he hesitated for a moment, unsure if the next part would be too over-the-top. He decided to go for it anyway. "We're really lucky to have you for our front-man."

Shane froze for a moment in shock before he face softened. "Thanks, Jase. You're spins were pretty amazing too."

The two friends stood looking at each other for a moment before Shane sighed. "I should probably go apologize to Mitchie and Natalie."

Jason was shocked. Shane Gray was going to apologize? It was like that book was magic! Now if only Jason could figure out what to do for Caitlyn. His problem was that he was facing some serious limitations because he was stuck in the arena until after the show. He was pretty sure Caitlyn didn't want any Connect Three merchandise, which was really his only option unless he could have something delivered. He tried to think … who delivered on short notice? Pizza? Chinese food? Flowers?

That's it! He could send her flowers.

But would that work? Any guy could call up a florist and order a dozen roses. He needed something that showed thought. He sat down and tried to recall if Caitlyn had ever mentioned liking any specific flowers. He remembered Caitlyn rolling her eyes when Shane sent Mitchie red roses for their anniversary because it was cliché, so roses were out. She liked bold colors and daring patterns, so he needed something like that. He went on-line and looked at different options before picking a huge bouquet of pink, purple, yellow and orange tulips. He took awhile to decide what to write on the card because he wanted it to be thoughtful, but not give away too much about how he felt about her. He settled on, "Thanks for being such a great friend."

It turned out that flowers were not as easy to have delivered at 6 o'clock at night as pizza, but with a generous tip, he was able to make it happen. They arrived just before he was set to go on stage. He saw her smile when they were handed to her, but he had to leave before she opened the card.

Once on stage he couldn't afford to think about how Caitlyn liked his gift, so he was caught off guard when she practically tackled him after the show was over. Her arms were still around his neck as she thanked him. "The flowers were gorgeous, Jason. How did you know tulips are my favorite?"

Jason hugged her back. "I didn't; they just reminded me of you because they are bright and happy."

Caitlyn's eyes were sparkling when she pulled away. She smiled shyly at him before saying, "No one's ever sent me flowers before."

"Really?" Jason blurted out. "If I'd known that I would have sent them earlier."

Caitlyn blushed before asking, "What made you send them today?"

Now it was Jason's turn to blush. "I guess I just realized that I'd never let you know how special I thought you were."

Caitlyn responded by standing on her toes and kissing him on the cheek. "I think you're pretty special too."

Jason felt his breath catch at Caitlyn's touch. He really should read more often.


	2. Quality Time

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Camp Rock or The Five Languages of Love._

_A/N: Two very lovely reviewers encouraged me to explore the interactions in more detail, so I am going to write a short chapter about each of Jason's attempts and how they impacted his friends. Sorry if they are redundant. If you don't like them, just pretend it was a one-shot._

_Dedication: To MissNata13 because she is amazingly supportive and wanted more and told me this was worth posting AND Loved-Invention because your reviews and PMs are so kind._

Mitchie sat absent-mindedly staring out the window of the bus watching the scenery pass by; every once in awhile, she would take a sip of her juice. Usually she enjoyed the quiet of the morning when she and the bus driver were the only ones up and about, but it could also be lonely. And sometimes it gave her a little too much time to think.

She loved Shane, and she knew intellectually that he loved her too; it was just that sometimes she didn't feel like it. She felt like she was the one putting in all the effort and that he took her for granted. And living on the bus put everyone in such tight quarters that they almost never had any time alone. Everything had to be done in a group, and it was starting to wear on her. As she pondered life on the road, she was startled by Jason's sudden appearance from the back of the bus. She swallowed her juice quickly and glanced over at the clock.

"What are you doing up, Jase? You know it's only six, right? You can still sleep for a few more hours."

Honestly Mitchie was shocked to see him; none of her friends had ever voluntarily gotten out of bed before eight. Jason looked like an over-sized child standing in his baggy blue jogging shorts and gray t-shirt rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"I know. I just haven't seen you much lately, so I thought it might be nice to hang out and talk before everyone else woke up – just the two of us," he said sleepily.

All traces of Mitchie's previous melancholy disappeared. She was so touched by his efforts that she didn't even wish that it was her boyfriend that had thought to wake up early to spend time with her.

"Really?" she asked.

Jason nodded. "Do you think you can help me make some coffee, though?" he asked a little sheepishly. "It's usually ready before I wake up."

Mitchie laughed and rose from her seat. She had always wondered if anyone noticed that she made the coffee every morning or if they just took it for granted. As she passed Jason on her way to the coffee maker, she was filled with a wave of affection. Without thinking, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, humming happily as she measured the coffee.

Mitchie could tell the moment the caffeine kicked in; Jason's eyes became more alert, and he began to ask her questions.

"So have you been writing any new songs?"

Mitchie shook her head. "Not right now. Touring has been more intense than I expected. I guess I need quiet to write."

Jason nodded. "I totally get that. Sometimes it is hard to think on the bus." He paused for moment. "But don't go too long without writing, Mitch. Cause I know that is part of who you are."

Mitchie looked at Jason in surprise. He was right; she had always used writing as a way of helping her process what she was feeling. Maybe some of her frustrations with Shane and touring would be easier to handle is she wrote about it. She smiled at Jason. "You might be right, Jason. I need to make time to write."

"Or maybe we could help you – write something together."

"That might be fun too."

Mitchie hesitated a moment before finally asking Jason a question that had been bothering her for weeks. "So Jason, what's up with you and Caitlyn?"

The question caught Jason totally off-guard. He had thought he was doing a pretty good job of keeping his feelings to himself.

"What do you mean?" he stammered.

"I don't know," Mitchie said. "I've just noticed you watching her a lot lately with a sort of dreamy look on your face. It's pretty adorable."

Jason blushed. While he wasn't ready to admit his crush out loud, he knew it was pointless to argue with Mitchie. Instead he settled on being vague. "I think she's pretty awesome," he mumbled.

Mitchie wished she could tell Jason that Caitlyn liked him too, but for some reason Caitlyn had been avoiding any discussions about boys and dating. Mitchie suspected that Caitlyn had feelings for the guitarist, but she didn't want to get his hopes up without concrete evidence.

"You're pretty awesome too, Jason. And any girl would be lucky to date you," Mitchie replied. And she meant it. Sure, he wasn't the brightest guy she had ever met, but he was kind and loyal and fun to be around. And his simple act of getting up to spend time with her had turned around her entire attitude about the day.

She reached out and squeezed his hand, grinning at him.

"Thanks for getting up early with me, Jason."

Jason was sure that the sight of her beautiful, happy smile was well worth the loss of a few hours sleep. He would have to remember to try and spend a little quality time with Mitchie more often.


	3. Acts of Service

_Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Rock or The Five Languages of Love._

_A/N: I probably shouldn't update again so soon, but I like to post as soon as I'm done writing. Thank you to MissNata13, February Song, Solitaire42 and rachel for reviewing the last chapter. It was lovely to hear that you didn't find it redundant and/or boring. Shane's chapter should be up next._

"This press release is lame," Shane said as he tried to hand a piece of paper to Nate.

"What?" Nate asked in confusion.

"Did you read it? It's lame. Can you fix it or something?"

Nate narrowed his eyes; if Shane thought there was something wrong with the press release, why shouldn't Shane do something about it. Sometimes it bugged him that Shane and Jason never took responsibility for the band; they expected that he would just take care of everything.

"You have Maggie's number, too Shane. Why don't you call her?"

Shane raised an eyebrow at Nate before shoving the paper in his hand. "Cause you're so much better at this stuff than I am."

Nate stood outside the bus dumbstruck as Shane threw an arm around Mitchie and walked away. He glanced down at the paper in his hand and read the release.

_On Saturday, April 4 Connect Three will be debuting a new single from their recently released album at a benefit concert for Juvenile Cancer. _

"_We are so excited to share our new sound with our fans," said lead singer Shane Gray._

_Connect Three's new album can be purchased on-line or at stores across the country. Check the Connect Three website to see if they will be performing somewhere near you!_

Nate groaned. Shane was right – the release was beyond lame. It was insultingly bad. There was no way this could go out. Shoving the paper under his arm, he reached into his pocket for his cell phone with the hand not already holding his guitar case.

"Hi Nate," Connect Three's publicist said in a cheery voice as she answered her phone.

"Hi Maggie," Nate replied automatically. He was trying to balance the phone between his ear and shoulder so he could look at the press release while he talked and walked towards the venue. "Can I talk to you about the Juvenile Cancer press release?"

"Sure. What's up?"

Nate felt the phone start to slip, so he stopped. It would be easier to just put the guitar down, but it had rained the night before and the ground was still wet. He was fairly confident the case would protect his instrument, but he didn't want to take the risk. As he was considering hanging up and calling Maggie back later, he noticed Jason standing in front of him with a hand extended.

Nate gave him a questioning look, and Jason whispered, "Can I take your guitar inside for you? I promise I won't lose it."

Problem solved. He nodded and whispered, "Thanks, Jason."

Reaching up to grab his phone, he continued his conversation. "Maggie, this press release reads like we're doing the benefit to get publicity for ourselves. That's not why we're doing it. We want to raise awareness and money for cancer research. The focus has got to be on the event, not us."

"But Nate," Maggie began.

"No Maggie," Nate interrupted. "All three of us feel very strongly about this. The performance should not be about us or the new album. It is about the cause."

"Okay," Maggie sighed, sensing this was a battle she wouldn't win.

"So we need to be sure that we have all the event information in there. Maybe you could call and work on a joint press release with the coordinator," Nate suggested as he began to move towards the building entrance.

"I'll do that right now," Maggie replied. "Do you want me to send you the revised release?"

"Yes, please," Nate said. "Thanks Maggie. I've got to go get ready for the sound check, but I'll talk to you later."

Nate hung up and asked one of the arena employees to direct him towards the dressing room. As he arrived, he noticed Jason putting something that looked vaguely familiar into a mini refrigerator.

"Was that my soda?" Nate asked.

"Yeah. I was just putting it in the fridge," Jason said smiling at him.

Nate grinned back at his friend. He was used to Caitlyn or Mitchie doing things for him, but usually Shane and Jason let him fend for himself. He threw an arm around Jason's shoulder and said, "Thanks, man."

"No problem, Nate. You always do stuff for us," Jason replied as he moved out the door. "We'd better find Shane and go check out the stage."

Nate nodded absently and followed Jason out of the room feeling a little happier and a little more appreciated than he had at the beginning of the day.


	4. Words of Affirmation

_Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Rock._

_A/N: This was the chapter that I was dreading, so hopefully it is okay. I feel like I am walking a fine line – I want Jason's actions to have an impact, but it needs to be believable. And in some cases, the impact would need to be beyond what Jason would actually see - so he is barely in this chapter which might disappoint a lot of you. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed. I think that this is the nicest set of reviews I have ever received, and I truly appreciate it._

Shane was in a foul mood. Waking up to find his best friend having a cozy tete-a-tete with his girlfriend had not been a great way to start the day. And the thing was that Shane totally trusted them both; he wasn't insecure or worried that something was going on between them. He was jealous that Mitchie looked so calm and happy talking with Jason when she had been so whiney and moody around him lately.

Then there was Nate and the stupid press release. Why was the guy being such a prick about it? Shane knew right away it was crap, but it ended there. Nate would instinctively know what was wrong with it and how to fix it, and yet his bandmate insisted on giving him attitude. Nate had to know that Shane could sit there for hours working on the thing and it wouldn't be nearly as good as whatever solution Nate came up with at first glance.

To make it all worse, everyone had been off during the sound check. One of the speakers had blown, and it had been a nightmare trying to get it fixed. By the time Shane had headed off stage, he was tired, thirst and really, really cranky.

"Shane," Mitchie said hesitantly as he exited the stage, "can we talk?"

"About what Mitch?" Shane said distractedly. "Cause I'm a little busy right now."

He actually had nothing to do for the next few hours, but he really wasn't up for a laundry list of everything he was doing wrong in their relationship. And that was pretty much all Mitchie wanted to talk about recently. He felt a little guilty as he saw a hurt look flash across her face.

"I'm thirsty," he announced. "Anyone have any water?"

A flustered PA held out a bottle towards him and said, "Here Mr. Gray."

He grabbed the offered bottle without acknowledging her and took a deep swig. He almost spit it out in the poor, nervous girl's face.

"What the hell is this?" He yelled.

"Sparkling water?"

"What kind of idiot would drink this salty crap?" He spat at her.

"Me." Mitchie's voice was icy. She took the drink out of his hand. "That is mine, thank you."

"Of course it is," Shane said sarcastically. "Cause you always like to make things way more complicated than they need to be. Plain water wouldn't be fancy enough for you."

Shane turned and walked away, vaguely aware that his insult hadn't even made sense. He was just so sick and tired of trying to live up to Mitchie's idea of the perfect boyfriend. She of all people should know that he hated being put into a box. Between Mitchie, Nate and the label, he was beginning to feel like he couldn't do anything right.

As he reached the dressing room, he wrenched open the door and stalked inside. He began to pace, muttering to himself and was surprised when he heard Jason call his name.

"What," he snapped.

"I meant to tell you that you were awesome during "Play My Music" during the last show. You really got the crowd into it." Shane noticed that Jason hesitated for a moment before continuing. "We're really lucky to have you for our front-man."

Shane froze. He hadn't been expecting that. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time anyone he actually cared about had complimented him. Sure people said nice things to him, but they were always mindless toadies who wanted something from him. He looked closely at his friend to see if he was joking, but Jason looked completely sincere. And Shane felt a little of his anger and frustration melt away with Jason's words. He remembered the incredible feeling of being on stage during their last show and suddenly remembered that he had meant to compliment Jason on his moves after the show but had been distracted.

"Thanks, Jase. You're spins were pretty amazing too."

A smile lit up Jason's face, and Shane couldn't help but compare that smile to the look of sadness that he had just seen on Mitchie's face. He knew that his words had the power to hurt her or make her day, and more and more, he had chosen to hurt her because he was hurting.

The two friends stood looking at each other for a moment before Shane sighed. "I should probably go apologize to Mitchie and Natalie."

Jason's looked surprised, but his smile grew wider, reinforcing Shane's decision. Before he could change his mind, Shane exited the dressing room in search of the two girls. He was flooded with guilt when he saw the PA flinch as he approached.

"Uhm, Natalie?" Shane began. Her eyes opened wide with shock at the fact that he knew her name. "I want to apologize for earlier. I was way out of line." He took a deep breath and remembered how he had felt when Jason had encouraged him. "I know you work really hard for us, and you do a great job. You don't deserve to be treated like that."

Her eyes welled up with tears and she stuttered as she responded. "Th..thank you, Mr. Gray."

He grinned at her, "And it's Shane, okay?"

She nodded and smiled before scurrying away. He stood watching her go, not noticing Mitchie approaching him from behind.

"That was nice of you," she said quietly.

He chuckled dryly. "I'm not sure if nice is the right word, but thanks. It's good to know I can do something right."

Mitchie winced a little. "What is that supposed to mean?" She asked.

Shane tensed, ready to attack, but instead he took a deep breath. Sarcasm and anger hadn't gotten him anywhere. Maybe it was time to try something new. He reached out and took her hand. "I think the bus is empty. How about we head over and talk."

Mitchie's eyes sparkled as she reached for his hand.


	5. Gift

_Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock._

_A/N: I'm not sure what to say about this one. It sat half finished on my computer all week, and I may have rushed through it because I wanted to get it done. One more chapter to go. Thanks for all the support!_

Caitlyn Gellar was confused. She knew there was something different about Jason today, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It was really starting to annoy her because she considered herself to be pretty much an expert on Jason; after all he was one of her closest friends. Usually he was fairly transparent, but all day he had been unusually quiet and happy. In fact, he seemed really happy, and she had no idea why. They hadn't visited an aviary or guitar store. In fact, the only thing that was out of the ordinary was that he had gotten up and spent some alone time with Mitchie.

Her stomach clenched a little at the thought that it was Mitchie that was making him so happy. She pushed the idea to the back of her mind and tried not to think about it. She found herself doing that a lot lately – trying to avoid thinking about Jason too much. Caitlyn knew she liked him, but she was fairly sure that he just saw her as a best friend or a little sister. Thinking about him made her chest ache a little, so she tried to concentrate on helping with the tour. That was safer and more productive.

Caitlyn was watching Mitchie perform her final song when she heard someone saying her name. She turned and looked around the wings, searching for the speaker. An older gentleman in wire-rimmed glasses approached her with a huge bouquet of flowers.

"Are you Caitlyn Gellar?" He asked loudly, trying to be heard over the pulsing music.

She nodded.

"These are for you. Can you sign here?" He held out a clipboard with his free hand, and she signed in a daze. He handed her the brilliant flowers, smiled and walked away. Caitlyn stood staring at the dazzling array of colorful tulips. It was almost as if she were frozen in place.

"Oh my goodness, Caitlyn, those are gorgeous! Are they for you?" Mitchie gushed as she exited the stage to find her friend holding a vase of flowers.

Caitlyn could only nod her head.

"Well, who are they from?"

That question jarred Caitlyn out of her stupor. She had been so surprised by the flowers that she hadn't even thought about who might have sent them. She knew who she wanted them to be from, but they had to be from her parents. Guys just didn't up and decide to send a girl like her flowers for no reason.

"I don't know," she said to Mitchie. She reached into the bouquet and pulled the card off of the plastic holder. She hesitated, partially because she was nervous and partially because she was afraid she would drop the entire bouquet if she tried to open the card. As if reading her mind, MItchie reached over and gently took the flowers out of Caitlyn's hands.

"How about we put these in my dressing room for safe keeping?" Mitchie asked.

"Okay," Caitlyn muttered. Now that her hands were free, she began to open the card. A slow smile appeared on her face as she read the card.

_Caitlyn,_

_Thanks for being such a great friend._

_Love,_

_Jason_

"So who is it from?" Mitchie gasped out. She had sprinted back from her dressing room after dropping off the flowers, anxious to find out who had sent her best friend such a romantic gift.

"Jason," Caitlyn whispered.

""Who?" Mitchie asked, unsure if she had heard her friend correctly. Caitlyn handed over the card, and Mitchie grinned as she read it.

"Wow!" Mitchie exclaimed. "He must really like you, Caitlyn. As far as I know, he's never sent any girl flowers before."

Caitlyn shook her head. As much as she wanted to believe the flowers meant Jason had feelings for her, the card was fairly specific. "He's thanking me for being his friend, Mitch. That doesn't mean he likes me."

Mitchie looked skeptical. "I'm his friend, and he didn't send me flowers."

Caitlyn thought about it for a moment. "But he did wake up early to spend time with you." She paused before continuing. "Maybe it's Friendship Day in Canada or something."

"Huh?"

"Don't you remember that Shane got him that Canadian bird calendar for Christmas?"

Mitchie began to laugh. "Right! And he wanted to know why we moved Thanksgiving to October."

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "I still think Shane did it on purpose to confuse the poor guy."

Mitchie ignored Caitlyn's comment and pulled out her phone. After typing something into the browser, she looked back up at Caitlyn. "Nope. Today is not an official holiday in either the US or Canada. You may just have to face the fact that a guy wanted to send you flowers."

"Even so," Caitlyn challenged, "that doesn't mean he likes me."

Mitchie shrugged, "But it could. I know he thinks you're pretty amazing." She looked carefully at her friend. She had been trying to get Caitlyn to admit she liked Jason for awhile now. "Do you want it to mean he likes you?"

Caitlyn hesitated before finally muttering, "Yes."

Mitchie grinned. "Caity, I think you should just ask him." Caitlyn opened her mouth to object, but Mitchie cut her off. "You don't have to ask if he likes you - just ask what made him send them. It's Jason; he may not give you the exact answer you want, but he will be honest with you."

Caitlyn nodded, thinking about what Mitchie had said.

"Here," Mitchie said, handing her back the card. "You might want to keep this."

Caitlyn smiled again as she reread the words Jason had written to her.

She was incredibly nervous as she waited for him to exit the stage after the final song, unsure of the best approach to take. But as soon as she saw him walking towards her, she knew what she wanted to do; she threw her arms around his neck. "The flowers are gorgeous, Jason. How did you know tulips are my favorite?"

Caitlyn felt shivers run down her spine as Jason hugged her back. "I didn't; they just reminded me of you because they are bright and happy."

Caitlyn's mind was racing. What did that mean? Without thinking, she blurted out, "No one's ever sent me flowers before."

"Really?" Jason looked genuinely surprised. "If I'd known that I would have sent them earlier."

Caitlyn blushed. Mitchie was right – she needed to find out what the flowers meant. She needed to take a chance. "What made you send them today?"

Now it was Jason's turn to blush. "I guess I just realized that I'd never let you know how special I thought you were."

Caitlyn heart began to race, and she responded by standing on her toes and kissing him on the cheek. "I think you're pretty special too."

As Caitlyn pulled back, she saw Jason's eyes widen in surprise and his face flush crimson. For a second, she thought she had done something wrong, but then his face broke out into a huge grin and he pulled her in for another hug. Her reaction to the flowers gave him a surge of confidence.

As he held her close, she heard him whisper, "Can I tell you something Caitlyn?"

She nodded into his chest, hoping that was enough of a sign for him to continue.

"I…" he faltered, and she could feel his chest rise as he took a deep breath. "I really like you."

Caitlyn's arms instinctively tightened around his waist. "I like you too, Jason," she replied.

He pulled away and looked at her searchingly. "I don't think you understand, Caity. I mean I really like you. Like I want to date you and hold your hand and …"

Caitlyn cut him off by placing her finger on his lips. "I feel the same way, Jason."

His face lit up. "Really?"

"Really!" Caitlyn replied with a huge smile on her face. She honestly didn't think she could feel any happier. Until Jason leaned in and kissed her.


	6. Physical Touch

_Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Rock._

_A/N: I thought that Jason could use a chapter that reflected his own love language. Beware, this is SUPER fluffy. Cotton candy and down pillow fluffy. Thank you so much to MissNata13 for telling me to post this story and encouraging me to continue it. Also thank you to faerietaleredux (for writing reviews that are continually better than my chapters even though she hates when I say that) and Loved-Invention (for all her support on this story)._

Caitlyn sat in the main living area of the bus working on her laptop while trying to ignore her friends so she could finish her e-mail to her parents. She was almost done, when she heard Nate mention Jason's name.

"Have any of you noticed that Jason's been different lately?"

Caitlyn's fingers stopped moving on her keyboard as she waited to hear Mitchie and Shane's response.

"What do you mean?" Mitchie asked.

"I don't know exactly," Nate said sounding frustrated. "But think about it. When was the last time he gave us a group hug?"

"You're right," Shane responded slowly. "It must have been weeks ago."

"And he isn't blurting out that he loves us anymore," Nate added.

"Maybe he doesn't feel the need to anymore because he has Caitlyn," Mitchie suggested, glancing over at her best friend.

Nate shrugged. "Maybe."

Caitlyn finally spoke up. "Nope. It has nothing to do with me."

All eyes turned towards her as she continued to focus on her computer.

"Do you know why he stopped?" Nate asked.

Caitlyn nodded without looking up. "He made a conscious decision to stop the hugging and stuff because he thought it made you uncomfortable."

Nate, Mitchie and Shane all looked at each other guiltily. Even though they knew how much Jason loved the hugs, they had all given him a hard time about them. But they had never expected him to stop – it was part of what made him Jason.

"I guess it did at first, but I got used to them." Shane admitted.

"Yeah, I sort of miss it," Nate said. He winced before adding, "I can't believe I just said that."

Caitlyn pressed send on her message, closed her laptop and stood up. "You know, Jason isn't the only one who can instigate a hug. I bet it would mean a lot to him if one of you did it for once."

With that, she headed to the back of the bus where Jason was taking a nap. She pulled back the curtain on his bunk and smiled at the sight of him sleeping peacefully. He stirred as she climbed up next to him.

"Is it time to get up?" He asked sounding groggy.

She shook her head. "I'm a little tired too. Can I join you?"

He scooted against the wall to make room for her. As she snuggled next to him, he kissed her forehead before drifting back to sleep.

An hour later, Jason and Caitlyn emerged from the back of the bus to find Mitchie, Nate and Shane in front of the television. Caitlyn watched with amusement as the two boys made eye contact and nodded at each other. They both got up and walked towards Jason.

"Hey guys," Jason said. "Anyone up for some Guitar Hero?"

"Nah," Nate said. "Do you know what I want?"

Jason shook his head.

"I don't know about you Shane, but I could really use a group hug," Nate replied.

Jason looked at his friends in confusion.

"Me too, Nate," Shane added before engulfing Jason in a huge hug. Caitlyn noticed Jason's eyes start to get misty as his two best friends held onto him.

"Hey, I want in," Mitchie said. She crossed the bus and wiggled in between Jason and Shane. Caitlyn grabbed her camera to capture the moment for Jason.

"We love you, man." Nate said gruffly right as she snapped a picture that in her mind would always represent love.


End file.
